Community Spotlight: Doug Mills

Today, we’re excited to share with you a really great story about a man who shares his passion and positively affects both young and old in our community!

Meet Doug Mills.

Doug’s journey to Vail Valley is an interesting one. He didn’t come out from Chicago to ski or mountain bike. He initially came to Vail Valley because he was in need of a hip replacement, and the best doctors for his specific needs were located here.

It’s no surprise that while in rehab for his surgery, Doug fell in love with the area! Someone told him that he should stay and create a business around something he loved, and that’s exactly what he did.

Raised playing musical instruments and having a sincere passion for music, Doug started teaching music lessons to children. With a focus on the string family, his business grew quickly through the referrals of happy clients.

Doug loves the fact that he is able to share his love for music with kids, who too often spend hours in front of technology, are aren’t exposed to interacting with others or practicing a hobby that isn’t a video game.

And, he clearly has a gift. He’s had the opportunity to work with children who’ve been diagnosed with Autism, ADD and ADHD, and instead of focusing on these labels, he focuses on helping the child really tap into their creative side and their unique personalities.

And, often that always involve reading music or even playing an instrument for the first half of the lesson. Doug explained a bit more..

“Sometimes my students just aren’t in the musical mindset when it’s time for our lesson. Instead of forces them to play, we might go in the front yard and juggle or do something that makes them feel good physically and mentally. We might do this for half the lesson time, and for the remaining half of the lesson, we have a really good time with the instrument.”

In addition to working with children, Doug also gives back though working with elderly people. He spends time playing songs that these folks remember from their youth in hopes of helping onsets of dementia and Alzheimer’s.

When Doug isn’t teaching, he plays himself. You can find him at Vail Valley Calvary Chapel the first Sunday every month playing with an awesome string band. He also is in the early stages of establishing a band that will cover The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Metallica, so keep an eye out for that.

If you have a child you’d like to get involved in music with an amazing teacher, definitely check out Doug’s Facebook page to learn more. Many of this clients take advantage of his family rates so that more than one child can experience the joys of learning to play a musical instrument.

We wanted to thank Doug for all of the positively that he contributes to members of our community!